Mechanism

ABSTRACT

THIS MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING FROM A SINGLE LEVER A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE AND INDEPENDENT RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS FOR PERFORMING DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS COMPRISES ESSENTIALLY A CONTROL LEVER FULCRUMED ABOUT A PIVOT PIN CARRIED BY A SUPPORTING PLATE, A DRIVING PIN CARRIED BY SAID CONTROL LEVER AND ADAPTED TO DROP INTO NOTCHES CONSTITUTING RADIAL ABUTMENT ELEMENTS WHICH ARE PROVIDED AT THE FREE END OF EACH ONE OF A PAIR OF QUANDRANTS FULCRUMED ON PIVOT PINS DISPOSED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE PIVOT PIN OF SAID CONTROL LEVER, AND TO ESCAPE FROM SAID NOTCHES AT THE END OF AN ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF EACH ONE OF SAID QUANDRANTS, THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID ANGULAR MOVEMNTS BEING ADJUSTABLE BY ADEQUATE STOP MEANS.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Albert Grosseau Chaville, France [21 1 Appl. No. 790,371

[22] Filed Jan. 10, 1969 [45] Patented June 28, 1971 [73 Assignec Societe Anonyme Automobles Citroen,

0M A Paris, France [32] Priority Jan. 11, 1968 [33 France [54] MECHANISM 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

Primary ExaminerMilton Kaufman Atlomeys- Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobato ABSTRACT: This mechanism for controlling from a single lever a plurality of successive and independent reciprocating movements for performing different functions comprises essentially a control lever fulcrumed about a pivot pin carried by a supporting plate, a driving pin carried by said control lever and adapted to drop into notches constituting radial abutment elements which are provided at the free end of each one of a pair of quadrants fulcrumed on pivot pins disposed on either side of the pivot pin of said control lever, and to escape from said notches at the end of an angular movement of each one of said quadrants, the amplitude of said angular movements being adjustable by adequate stop means.

SHEET 1 [IF 2 PATENTED JUN28 l9?! PATENTEU JUH28 l97l SHEET 2 BF 2 MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to mechanisms and has specific reference to a mechanism designed for controlling by means of a single lever a plurality of successive movements, for example two successive reciprocations having different functions.

A control mechanism providing several independent movements has already been described in the US. Pat. No. 2,851,898, wherein a single lever fulcrumed to a baseplate by means of a pivot pin controls by means of a stud the rotation about the same pivot pin of a quadrant plate formed with slots engaged by projections carried by the lever controlling the pivotal movements of said plate about three axes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The mechanism according to the present invention com prises essentially a control lever fulcrumed about a pivot pin carried by a supporting plate and carrying a driving pin, at least two quadrants fulcrumed about two pivot pins carried by said supporting plate and disposed on either side of, and close to, the fulcrum of said lever, each quadrant being provided with a notch, the two notches being inverted in relation to each other and so disposed as to be engageable by the driving pin of said control lever and to release said driving pin for performing in succession two movements of rotation controlling at least two different functions.

The position of the axes of the pivot pins of said quadrants, in relation to the fulcrum of said control lever and the distance measured from the upper edge of the notches to the fulcrum of said control lever determine on the one hand the amplitude of the angular excursion of each quadrant and on the other hand the succession of movements performed by the mechanism.

These movements are limited by stops at the beginning and at the end of the quadrant movements.

Between the position in which the driving pin escapes from the notch of one quadrant and the position in which the same quadrant engages the relevant stop, a gap may occur which is filled by the action of a return spring continuing the action of said control lever.

According to the position of the pivot pins on which said quadrants are fulcrumed, the control lever drives a single quadrant at a time and then leaves it for engaging and driving the next quadrant, possibly with an intermediate pause or lostmotion, or alternately the control levers begins to drive the other quadrant when the first quadrant is still being driven, so as to produce an interference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A control mechanism providing two successive movements will now be described more in detail by way of illustration with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a basic diagram showing the control of a move ment by means of a single control lever and a single quadrant or sector;

' FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the successive movements performed by two quadrants controlling movements as a function of the movement imparted to the pilot lever; in the case the control lever engages a second quadrant with an intermediate pause after having leaved the quadrant;

FIG. 3 is a similar diagram, but in the case the control lever engages said second quadrant before leaving the first quadrant;

FIG. 4 illustrates the complete mechanism according to a typical form of embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The control leverillustrated in FIG. 1 is a bellcrank lever 1 fulcrumed about a pivot pin 2 carried by the plate 14 and actuatable by means of a handle 3; a stud or driving pin 4 is carried by the elbow of this control lever 1.

A first quadrant 15 having any configuration consistent with the specific application contemplated, for example the shape of a bellcrank lever, is fulcrumed to the plate by means of a pivot pin 5 adjacent to the fulcrum 2 of control lever 1.

This quadrant has formed at its free end a notch 16 comprising a radial abutment face 17 and another semicircular notch 18, so as to provide a radial stop'17 for said driving pin 4, on one side, and to permit the escape of said pin 4 on the other side 18 when the eccentric quadrant 15 has performed a predetermined angular excursion (I to II, FIG. 2 or FIG. 3).

The lower edge of this quadrant comprises a projection or lug 19 bent at right angles and engaging a slot 7 formed in said plate 14, the length 1 of this slot corresponding to the angular amplitude a of the movement performed by the quadrant from the position of engagement I of pin 4 and the release position II shown in dash and dot lines in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 of the drawings.

Another quadrant or sector 20, which may have or not the same configuration as the first quadrant, has one end pivoted about a pivot pin 6. The pivot pins. 5 and 6 have their axes disposed on either side of pivot pin 2, and are possibly symmetrical in relation thereto. This other quadrant is formed at its free end with a notch 21 similar to the notch 16 of quadrant 15 but directed the other way, the radial abutment face 22 being opposite to the radial abutment face 17 of notch 16.

This other quadrant is adapted to pivot from position 111 shown by way of example in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 to position IV shown in dash and dot lines, and its angular excursion may have the same amplitude a as that of quadrant 15, or a different amplitude according to the depth of its notch 21. This movement is controlled by the free play of a lug 24 carried by said quadrant 20 in the slot 25 formed in said plate 14 (see FIG. 4).

The permissible angular excursion B of control lever 1 is the sum of the angular amplitudes a of quadrants 15 and 20, plus if desired a lost motion between these two amplitudes, as in the case illustrated in FIG. 2. In contrast thereto, this sum may be reduced if the quadrants are so arranged that the second quadrant be driven by the pin 4 carried by lever 1 before this pin has escaped from the notch 14 of the first quadrant.

Under these conditions, the mechanism operates as follows:

Assuming the control lever 1 to be in its inoperative position (I, FIG. 2) corresponding to the lower abutting position of the lug 19 of the first quadrant 15; the driving pin 4 will thus engage the notch 16 of quadrant 15 and drive the latter when the lever 1 is actuated. When quadrant 15 has completed its movement to position 11, with the lug 19 in its upper abutting position in slot 7, the driving pin 4 escapes from notch 16 and during its movement engages the radial abutment face 22 of the notch 21 of the other quadrant 20 having its lug in abutting relationship with the top of its retaining slot; then, quadrant 20 is driven to its endmost position IV.

During the return movement of control lever 1 the movements performed by said quadrants are reversed in that quadrants 20 and 15 are restored to their initial positions by the same driving pin 4.

The engagement and release of each notch 16 and 21 by the driving pin 4 are obtained by the eccentric relationship provided between the arcs described by control lever 1 (and therefore by driving pin 4) and quadrants l5 and 20, respectively. The distance from said pin 4 to the respective centers 5 and 6 of quadrants 15 and 20 will thus vary with the position of lever l. The distance from driving pin 4 to the axis of rotation 5 of quadrant 15 increases as the control lever 1 moves from its initial position I to the end position II. The variation in this distance enables the pin 4 firstly engaged in the notch of quadrant 15 to be gradually released therefrom and to subsequently free this quadrant. The reverse sequence takes place with quadrant 20, as the control lever 1 continues to move in the same direction. The variation in the distance from pin 4 to the axis of rotation 5 or 6 of quadrants 15 or 20 is equal to the degree of engagement of driving pin 4 in the quadrant concerned. This degree of engagement is zero at the end of the quadrant movement so that the pin can escape therefrom tangentially, the edge of the slot being designed to this end.

Between the position where pin 4 escapes from the slot of a quadrant and that in which the quadrant is abutting, the presence of play may produce a gap which is filled by the action of auxiliary springs 9 and 10 attached to each quadrant respectively and each pulling each quadrant toward the abutting position of its radial abutment face 17 or 22 against stud 4 of lever 1. Each of said springs thus acts on the corresponding quadrant in a one direction of movement to impede said action to produce undesired drawing of said control lever in each of said one direction of movement friction means may be provided for resisting to movement of said lever in both opposite directions with a force greater than that exerted by each of said springs.

The movements of quadrants l5 and may be transmitted to the members to be actuated, for example by means of cables or rigid rods 11 and 12.

Of course, this invention should not be construed as being limited by the specific form of embodiment shown and described herein, since various modifications and variations may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic principle of the invention. Thus, a plurality of parallel quadrants or sectors driven in succession by the same control lever may be provided, if desired.

lclaim:

l. A mechanism for controlling several successive and inde pendent reciprocating movements, which comprises a control lever adapted to pivot freely about a fulcrum provided on a plate, a driving pin secured to said control lever between said fulcrum and the handle-forming portion of said control lever, at least two quadrants fulcrumed about pivot pins provided on said plate on either side of said fulcrum, said quadrants being adapted to pivot freely in planes parallel to the plane of said control lever, a notch formed in the free end of each quadrant and located on the path followed by said driving pin when said control lever is actuated, said notches acting as inverted radial abutment elements in relation to each other for engagement by and release of said driving pin at the beginning and at the end of each angular movement of each quadrant, and means for limiting the amplitude of the angular movement of each quadrant.

2. A mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said control lever being a bellcrank lever which is fulcrumed at one end to a pivot pin carried by said supporting plate, said control lever carrying a driving pin or stud at its elbow.

3. A mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said quadrants being in the form of levers fulcrumed symmetrically on a pair of pivot pins parallel to the pivot pin of said control lever and disposed eccentrically in relation thereto, said quadrants moving in planes parallel to the plane of said supporting plate.

4. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the radial abutment face of a notch of one quadrant is positioned inversely of the radial abutment face of the notch formed in the other quadrant.

5. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein said quadrants are provided at their bases with a projecting lug engaging a slot formed in said supporting plate, the length of said slot corresponding to the amplitude of the angular movement of each quadrant which is necessary for causing said driving pin to engage and be released from said quadrant notch.

6. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein return springs are provided on said quadrants for completing, if necessary, their movement in case of disengagement of said driving pin from a notch.

7. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the relative angular shift of said quadrants is so determined that an overlap is created in the drive from one quadrant to the other. 

